1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removable vehicle tailgate supplementary supports and the method of using the same and, more specifically, it relates to such supports which function to enhance the load-bearing capability of an open generally horizontally disposed vehicle tailgate above and beyond the load-bearing capability existing in the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known with a wide variety of vehicles, such as pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, station wagons to provide, generally at the rear of the vehicle, rotatable tailgate members which can assume a latched closed upper position in which the tailgate is generally vertically oriented and an open or lower position to which the tailgate may be rotated, which is generally horizontal. In the open position, access is obtained to a rear portion of the vehicle interior for loading or unloading items or permitting entry or exit by humans and animals.
Such tailgates generally are provided with a pair of cable members secured to opposite ends of the tailgate and to the vehicle to provide adequate support to the tailgate to resist it going below the horizontal level under many loading conditions. There are, however, many instances wherein such flexible cables do not have adequate strength, such as when heavy equipment or property plus individuals provide a static load on the tailgate greater than the load bearing capability of the cables.
There remains, therefore, a need for supplementary supports which can serve to enhance the load-bearing capability of the tailgate on an as needed basis through removable additional supports.